Defective light indicator



March 8, 1938. R. HAMILTON DEFECTIVE LIGHT INDICATOR Filed March 12,-1936 I INVENT:

BYW.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES/ PATENT OFFICE 2,110,221linrnc'rrvn LIGHT mmca'ron. ltob'ert A. Hamilton, Newport News, Va.Application March 12, 1936, Serial No. 68,556

'1 Claim.

cators for'automobiles and has for an object to provide both visible andaudible signal devices whereby the driver of the car without leaving hisseat will be instantly advised whenever a light' is burned out.

'-In automobile lighting systems the headlights are each on two circuitsand ordinarily there is no way of determining while driving which lightsare burning. The present inventionprovides a telltale system whereby thedriver will be aware at all times which lights are burning.

The invention comprises briefly a plurality of units each comprising tworelays mounted oppositely to each other. Each relay has a relay armaturemounted over its core. Both armatures have contacts which make contactwith a fixed contactbetween them, and the fixed contact is" connectedwith a pilot signal light on the ininstrument board. j With the aboveand other objects in view the invention consists of certain noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, it being understood 25 that various modificationsmay be resorted'to within the scopeof the appended claim withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, I p Thefigure is a diagrammatic view of an automoblle lighting system equippedwith my improved defective light indicator;

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of refe'rencedesignate similar parts in the various views, I0 designates the rightheadlight, II the left headlight, I2 the stop light, and I3 the taillight, of a conventional automobile lighting. system. As'usual the stoplight is operated by a brake pedal operated switch. I4 and the lightswitch for the headlights is of the double pole variety includingcontacts 9 and I5 which are cross connected to energize one of thefilaments in both headlights when the switch 45 arm I6 is turned in onedirection, and contacts 8 and I1 which control the other filaments ofboth headlights when the switch arm. is turned in the oppositedirection. When the lighting switch I8 is closed current is suppliedfrom the 50 battery I9 to the tail light and to the headlight switch. IThese parts are of conventional type to,

be found on the lighting systems of all cars today.

The defective light indicator comprising the subject matter. of thisinvention includes a plu- 55 rality of units of relays designated A, B,and C. The unit A comprises a. pair of relays 20 and 2I which aredisposed opposite eachother upon {a suitable base 22. The relay 20 has arelay armature 23, while the relay 2| has a relay ar- 60 mature 24mounted over its core. These relay light pilot light 34 on the Thisinvention relates to defective light indi armatures make contact withthe fixed contact 25 which is arranged between'them and which isconnected by a wire 26 with the left headlight signal or pilot light 21located on the instrument board.

The unit B likewise comprises a pair of opposed relays 28 and 29 havingrespective relay armatures 30 and 3| which engage a fixed contact 32located between them. A conductor wire 33 connects the fixed contact toa right headlight pilot light 34 located on the instrument board.

The unit C also comprises a pair of opposed relays 35 and 36 havingrespective relay armatures 31 and 38 which engage a fixed contact 39that is connected by a wire 40 to a combined stop and tail pilot light,4I located on the instrument board.

The electrical connections are as follows. The

contact I5 of the lighting switch is connected by a wire 42 to the relayarmature 23 of .the relay 20 and one endof the coil of the relayis alsoconnected to the armature. The other end of the coil of the relayisconnected by a wire 43 to one of the filaments of the left headlight II,for'example, the bright filament. The mating contact 9 of the switch isconnected by "a wire 44 to the relay armature 39 of the relay 28 and thearmaturelis connected to one end of the coil of-the relay while theother end of the coil is-connected by a wire 45 to one of the filamentsfilament.

When the lighting switch arm I6 is in the position illustrated currentwill flow from the battery through the wire 42, relay 20, wire 43 'tothe bright filament of the left headlight II the relay will becomede-energized and its arma ture 23 will be released and will make contactwith the fixed contact 25 whereby the current will now flow from thebatteryto the wire 42, armature 23, fixed contact 25 and wire 26 tolight the left headlight pilot light on the instrument board.

In the same manner if the bright filament of the right headlight shouldbumvout the circuit through the relay 28 will be broken at this pointand current willnow fiow from the battery through the wire" 44 to therelay armature 30,

and since the relay has become deenergized, the armature will be incontact with the fixed contact 32 so that current will fiow through thefixed contact 32 and wire 33 to the right headand light this light.

instrument board 7 in the right headlight III, for example, the bright vBy again referring to the figure it will be seen that the relay armature24 is connected to one end of the coil of the relay 2| and the other endof the coil is connected by a wire 48 to the dim filament in the leftheadlight H. Assuming for the moment that the bright headlights arebeing used and that the bright filament in theleft headlight II hasburned out, it will how be pointed out. that in addition to currentfiowing through the fixed contact 25 to light the pilot light 21 on theinstrument board the current will' divide at the fixed. contact 25 andpass through the relay armature 24, then through the relay 2|, and thenthrough the wire 46 to the dim fi1- ament of the left headlight andcomplete a circuit through the relay 2|. 'I'hereupon the relay 2| willbe energized to attract its relay armature 24 but immediately thearmature leaves the switch contact 25'the' circuit through the relay 2|will be broken, the result being that the armature 24 will be'vibrate'das the circuit through the relay is alternately made and broken andproduce a buzzing audible signal simultaneously with the lighting ofthe'pilo't lamp 21.

In like manner should the bright filament of the right headlight l0 burnout, thereby causing the right pilot light 34 to glow, it will be seenby referring to unit B that the current will pass through the relayarmature 30, through the fixed contact 32, relay 29, and wire 41 to thedim filament of the right headlight with the result that the relay 29will be alternately energized and de-energized as the armature 3| makesand breaks contact with the fixed contact 32 ,to create the audiblebuzzing signal.

The contact H on the lighting switch is connected by a wire 48 to therelay armature 24 of the relay 2|, to connect the solenoid in serieswith the dim filament in the left headlight through the wire 46.Likewise the contact 8 is connected by a wire 49 to the relay armature3| of the relay 29 which is connected in series with the dim filament ofthe right headlight through the wire 41.

Now, should the dim filament of the left headlight burn out, while thedim headlights are in use, the current will divide at the fixed contact25 and part will pass through the relay armature 23 and relay 2|] whichis connected in series with the bright filament in,the left headlightthrough the wire 43. The consequent energizing and de-energizing of therelay 28 will cause the armature, 23 to vibrate simultaneously with theglowing of the left headlight pilot light 21 so that both audible andvisible means will be availablefoFindicating to the driver that the dimfilament of the left headlight is extinguished.

If the diin filament in the right headlight burns out while the dimheadlights are in use, in the same manner as just described, the currentwill divide at the fixed switch contact 32 and pass through the armature30 and through the relay 28 and through the wire 45 to the brightfilament of the right headlight ill. The relay will be de-energized whenthe armature 30 is attracted and break the circuit at the fixed contact32, this alternate making and breaking of the circuit producing abuzzing signal as the armature vibrates simultaneously with the lightingof the right headlight pilot light 34.

The relays 35 and 36 of the unit C control the lighting of the pilotlamp4| and the: buzzing signal when either the stop light or the tail lightfilament of a combined stop and. tail light is burned out. For thispurpose a wire'5ll con-- nects the battery withthe brake pedal switch l4and the latter is connected by a wire 5| to the armature 38 of the relay36 which is connected in series with the armature,and withthe filamentof the stop light l2 by a wire 52.- Should the stop light filament burnout the circuit.

through the relay will be broken whereuponthe armature 38 will makecontact with the fixed contact 39 and cause the combined stop and taillight pilot light 4| ,to glow.

At the same time the currentwill pass through thearmature 38, fixedcontact 39, relay armature 31'of the relay 35 through a wire 53 whichleads to the filament of the tail light I 3. The relay- 35 will bealternately-energized and deenergized 'as the armature 31 makes andbreaks the circuit at the fixed contact 39 to create a buzzing signalsimultaneously with the glowing of the pilot lamp 4|.

A wire 54 leads from the lighting switch I8 to the' armature 31 andsince the armature is connected in series with the relay 35 and thefilament of the taillight |3 through the wire 53, when the filament inthe tail light is burned out the circuit through the relay will bebroken to release the armature 31 to make contact with the fixed contact39 and energize the stop and tail pilot light 4|. Simultaneously withthe glowing of this pilot light the current will pass through thearmature 31, fixed contact 39, armature 38, relay 36 to the stop lightfilament, and, as above described, immediately this circuit is made itis broken by the armature 38 leaving the fixed contact 39, to producethe buzzing audible signal simultaneously with the glowing of the pilotlight 4|. 4

Since the operation of the device has been described as the descriptionof the-parts pro-' the coils, a stationary contact between the armaturesout of engagement with either armature whenits corresponding coil isenergized and in engagement when its coil is de-energi'zed, a source ofelectrical energy, means connecting one terminal of the sourcethroughthe selectivecontrol means to one terminal of one coil, meansconnecting the other terminal of said coil to one terminal of itscorresponding filament, means connecting the other terminal of saidfilament to the other terminal of the source, means 'conneoting thecorresponding armature. to the firstnamed terminal of said coil,identical connection for the other coil, filamentj'and armature throughthe selective control means, and a pilot lamp having one of itsterminals connected to the said stationary contact and its otherterminal to the second-named terminal ofthe source, whereby when theselective control means is eiiective to close either one of the twocircuits to the correspondingfil'ament and said filament is burnedoutthe correiponding armature will engage the stationary co tact to therebyenergize the pilot light and simultaneously direct current through theother filament to thereby produce a buzzing sound and fiicker'saidassociated filament.

ROBERT a HA1 TON.

armature and coil and its associated

